OPEN

REQUEST: When applying, in the About Yourself/Goals section of the Join a Group form, please include if you’ve taken any writing classes and/or worked with a professional editor, etc.  This group will not be the right fit for beginning writers.

Genre(s): Historical fiction (or other novels that have an intensive research component — biographies and contemporary novels with medical and technical research components, for eg.). No screenplays, graphic novels, poetry.

Group Size Limit: 6

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time, & Duration: Tentative: Monthly meetings on Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 PM, BUT HAPPY TO ADJUST TO MEMBER CONSENSUS

PLACE: Virtual or Hybrid, BUT HAPPY TO ADJUST TO MEMBER CONSENSUS

Restrictions / Limitations: Prefer novelists who can share outline or beat sheet in addition to scenes or chapters.

Potential Rules: 1. Scenes or pieces to be shared at least 5 days before meetings.
2. Maximum 3,000 words.
3. Constructive comments, please.
4. Avoid arguments or defensiveness.
5. Each member will have a set time to lead discussion of their piece or seek general feedback.
Will discuss other possible rules by consensus of members at the initial meeting.

Approximate Starting Date: January 14, 2025

Genre(s): Poetry

Group Size Limit: 4-10

Potential Meeting Frequency: Weekly

Starting Time, & Duration: Thursdays at 7pm. 1.5 hours

PLACE: In person (location TBD)

Restrictions / Limitations: Member of CWC interested in poetry.

Potential Rules: Must submit material in advance of meeting, may be asked to read material during meeting, all criticism must be delivered with a positive, constructive spirit

Approximate Starting Date: November 07, 2024

Open: Taking 1-2 more members

Genre(s): Memoir, Non-Fiction, Fiction

Group Size Limit: min = 4; max = 8

PLACE: San Mateo, hybrid

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time, & Duration: Once a month, 10 am-12 pm, first Tuesday

Restrictions / Limitations: Submissions less than 1600 words

Potential Rules: Submissions due to all members one week before meeting.
Kind reviews returned to members before meeting.
Submissions discussed kindly at meetings.

Approximate Starting Date: February 04, 2025

Genre(s): All genres with focus on literary fiction.

Group Size Limit: 4 members (can accept 2 more)

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time & Duration: Monthly on the 4th Monday from 7 to 9.30 pm

Where: Zoom

Restrictions / Limitations: No screenplays, college essays or professional presentations.

Potential Rules:

- Submit up to 4,000 words per meeting

- Submit online at least 7 days before the meeting. This allows readers enough time to feedback on more than one submission.

- If you don't have a submission, attend and support others who have critiqued your work when they didn't have anything to share.

- Every member will have a set time to provide their feedback.

- Be inclusive, kind, encouraging, and honest without being argumentative or defensive.

Approximate Starting Date: Started

Genre(s): Focus on fiction, some memoir/essay/nonfiction. All fiction genres ok; focus on literary. (No children's books. We're not right for poetry.)

Group Size Limit: Group is currently 4 and that's fine for now. Possibly could add one in future.

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time & Duration: Monthly, weekdays midday.

Restrictions / Limitations: We invite potential members to join us for a trial to see if we/they are a good fit. No children's books. We're not right for poetry.

Potential Rules: Submit at least 1 week before. Limit ~ 5K - 7K words. Readers give verbal response during meeting and are timed; follow up by returning marked up documents. Pieces not read during meetings. And of course we insist on constructive feedback in a spirit of encouragement.

Approximate Starting Date: Closed.

Genre(s): Open to all genres. Currently we have nonfiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and criminal mystery.

Group Size Limit: 4

OPEN: We currently have three members and are open for one new participant.

Where: Virtual meeting.

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time & Duration: Once per month, the first Thursday of the month at 11:30 a.m. Meetings are for up to 2 hours depending on how many works are submitted for critique. We are open to changing that time to accommodate a new member.

Restrictions / Limitations: No restrictions.

Potential Rules: Always supportive! All critiques are given in a collegial spirit of support. We’re all trying to become better writers together.

- One piece from each member is critiqued per meeting, thus up to four pieces may be critiqued.

- Submitting a piece for critique is not required, but we strongly encourage members to attend and critique their peers’ work regardless of whether they themselves have a work to submit that month.

- Pieces should be 1,500 words or less. They can be complete, self-contained works or fragments of larger projects.

- Work should be submitted 2+ days before the group meets.

- Written critiques are sent to all members the day before the group meets.

- Each writer gets 30 minutes to talk about their work, to ask advice, to ask for input, to ask for suggestions or ideas etc. - anything that might be helpful to them.

Approximate Starting Date: Open and ready right now.

Genre(s): Memoir

Group Size Limit: 4 or 5

CLOSED

Potential Meeting Frequency: Wednesdays every other week

Starting Time & Duration: Wednesdays 9.30 - 11 AM

Where: Virtual on Zoom.

Restrictions / Limitations: Serious about the writing craft; working to publish.

Potential Rules: Submit up to 2500 words via e-mail by Sunday at 10 a.m. prior to meeting. Return with suggested changes by Tuesday. Read revised piece aloud at Wednesday meeting.

Approximate Starting Date: 3/25/2023

Genre(s): Memoir

Approximate Start Date: June 05, 2024

Group Size Limit: 4 to 6

Meeting Frequency, Time, & Duration: Every fourth Wednesday at 7.00 PM - 8.30 PM

PLACE: Virtual

Restrictions / Limitations: Negotiable

Potential Rules: Each group member may submit up to 10 pages per meeting one week in advance so other members have time to read and react to every submission (written notes not required; verbal feedback is fine).

CLOSED

Genre(s): Mostly non fiction or creative non fiction.

Group Size Limit: 5 or 6

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time & Duration: First Tuesday of the month at 1 p.m.

Where: Virtual on Zoom

Restrictions / Limitations: We would like to evaluate, and be evaluated, by new members.

We like detailed and constructive feedback.

Potential Rules: We submit one week in advance. We edit and discuss the submissions--but do not read at the meetings. The word limit per submission is approximately 1200 words.

Approximate Starting Date: Ready for you now.

Genre(s): Poetry

Group Size Limit: 3 - 5

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time & Duration: Monthly. Second Wednesday of every month @ 7:00 PM for 1.0 - 1.5 hours.

Where: Virtually on Zoom

Restrictions / Limitations: Poets should submit a piece of their work to read at each meeting they attend. Poems should be submitted to the group at least 24 hours ahead of the meeting to give others the chance to read and develop comments. Each participant will be expected to read one poem of their own as well as comment on the work of each of the others, with the exception of 1-2 initial meetings to observe and decide if they want to join the group.

Potential Rules: Criticism should be thoughtful and positive so that it is useful to the author. The group needs to be focused on helping one another and not just on giving feel good praise that does not lead to meaningful revision.

Feedback should take no more than 15 minutes including questions to the group from the author about particular concerns.

It is also helpful to have participants that are mostly regular in attendance.

I prefer a virtual format so people should know how to use Zoom.

Approximate Starting Date: 4/3/2023

CLOSED. Please check back.

Genre(s): Fiction, or creative non-fiction. Short or novel.

Group Size Limit: 10

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time, & Duration: Tuesdays, 4-6 pm. Twice monthly.

WHERE: In-person meeting in Mid-Peninsula at a local café and bakery.

Restrictions / Limitations: None right now

Potential Rules: Writers bring 7 pages, double-spaced, to read in group. If want pages marked up, can bring copies for members. Read, oral critique, discussion and questions at end only. Marked up copies returned.

Again, this was the format for the SF Writers Workshop, and it was most helpful while not engendering a lot of "homework" for members!

Approximate Starting Date: 4/10/2023

Genre(s): Science fiction and fantasy.

Group Size Limit: 4-8

OPEN: Open for 2 new members. Welcome to try out the group.

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time, & Duration: Weekly. Wednesdays @ 6 pm.

We meet for about 3 hours, occasionally a bit longer. Most efforts concentrated in that time. (No need to prepare critique in advance).

WHERE: Virtual, online.

Restrictions / Limitations: Minors should preview the group with a parent/ guardian. Current members are all adults.

Erotica, abuse/violence-celebrating stories, nonfiction are not appropriate subgenres for this group.

Potential Rules: Submissions can be any length. Most members are writing novels. Format: upload standard-formatted excerpt on or before meeting day, read passage aloud while others take notes, about 10-15 mins, then take constructive critique for next 10-15 mins. Do the same for other participants-listen, take notes, share thoughts. Practical, supportive, constructive comments only, include positive feedback as well. No bashing. Provide written feedback by email afterwards, as annotations to provided MS.

Genre(s): Fiction and Memoir

Group Size Limit: 4

Open / Closed / Undecided: Closed

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time, & Duration: Once a month

PLACE: In person

Restrictions / Limitations: None

Potential Rules: Submit material in advance

Approximate Starting Date: November 24, 2024

Group: CLOSED

Genres: Fiction, non-fiction, memoirs.

Size Limit: 8

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time & Duration: We meet the second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 7-8:30pm.

Where: Virtually on Zoom.

Potential Restrictions / Limitations: Our members are not skilled in evaluating poetry or screenplays.

Potential Rules: We are a group of experienced writers. We encourage each other and laugh as frequently as possible.

As a writer, you are free to write about anything. No topics are off the table. Though, on the other hand, as a human, you are free to experience your own feelings. You are not expected to critique any work that offends you.

Writers submit up to 3000 words of their work for critique, one week before the meeting. Work is shared on Google Docs, in 12-point font, and double-spaced. Critique/comments are due the weekend before the meeting.

Genre(s): All genres.

Group Size Limit: 4

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time & Duration: We have met bi-weekly for many years, Thursday mornings 10:00 a.m.

Restrictions / Limitations: None

Potential Rules: No rules

Approximate Starting Date: Closed

Genre(s): Whatever occurs to us, but generally short fiction.

Group Size Limit: 4

CLOSED

Potential Meeting Frequency, Starting Time & Duration: Once a month by mutual arrangement for 1.5-2.0 hours.

Restrictions / Limitations: We have not articulated any.

Potential Rules: Writers submit material to be reviewed one week in advance.